The Visa IPO, and the Secret History of Credit Cards

I’ll come back later with some more detailed stuff on the gob-smackingly huge Visa IPO — it will likely be the largest in U.S. history; and, even if ill-timed, it follows Mastercard which has done a 5-bagger — but for now, two things.

First, a chart putting the Visa IPO in historical context among its fellow titanic U.S. IPOs:

Second, this Frontline special on the credit card industry, called "The Secret History of the Credit Card". It’s great viewing, and you can find the rest of the episode here.